Sept. 8, 2011

=”” alt=”Facebook Logo” border=”0″ class=”imported”>Gamecock Women’s Soccer on Facebook | =”” alt=”Twitter Logo” border=”0″ class=”imported”>Follow @GamecockWSoccer on Twitter

By Miquel Jacobs
Assistant Media Relations Director

South Carolina at Clemson | Friday, 7:30 p.m.

| Live Video Broadcast (Paid) | Game Notes

South Carolina vs. UNC Wilmington | Sunday, 12 p.m.

| Game Notes

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina travels to Clemson, S.C., to compete in the seventh annual Carolina Cup tournament that will pit the Gamecocks and Tigers against each other in a Friday night rivalry clash.

The match between South Carolina and Clemson will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. at Historic Riggs Field. Admission is free to the match. The Gamecocks will then play UNC Wilmington on Sunday at noon in hopes of taking home their fifth straight Carolina Cup trophy.

CAROLINA-CLEMSON RIVALRY – IN IT’S 17TH YEAR
* Each game since 1999 has been a shutout victory for the winning team
* South Carolina has won the last three games in the series
* Since Shelley Smith became USC coach, Carolina has outscored Clemson 11-7
* 2010’s 5-0 Gamecock victory was the first ever at Clemson’s Riggs Field
* Only one game in 15 matches has gone to overtime: a 1-0 Clemson win in 2003
* When played as part of the Carolina’s Cup Tournament, Carolina holds a 3-0 record
* Carolina’s wins in 2008 & 2009 marked its first back-to-back wins in series history
* South Carolina also won in 2010, making it the first streak of three straight wins
* Clemson leads the all-time series 10-6 but Shelley Smith is 5-5 against the Tigers

THE CAROLINA CUP – IN IT’S 7th YEAR
* 2010 in Columbia, S.C.: 2-0-0 (Def. Clemson 2-0, Furman 1-0)
* 2009 in Clemson, S.C.: 2-0-0 (Def. Clemson 5-0, UNC Wilmington 2-0)
* 2008 in Columbia, S.C.: 2-0-0 (Def. Clemson 1-0, Furman 2-1)
* 2007 in Charlotte, N.C.: 2-0-0 (Def. Charlotte 2-0, Furman 2-0)
* 2006 in Greenville, S.C.: 1-1-0 (Lost to Charlotte 0-1, Def. Furman 1-0)
* 2005 in Clemson, S.C.: 0-2-0 (Lost to Clemson 0-1, Charlotte 1-2)

* South Carolina has won nine straight games in the tournament, dating to 2006
* South Carolina holds an all-time record of 9-3-0 in the Carolina Cup
* In it’s current nine game streak, Carolina has outscored opponents 18-1
* Clemson becomes the first school to host the tournament for a third time (`05, `09, `11)

ON THE HORIZON
The Gamecocks conclude their non-conference schedule with home fixtures against two schools from the state of North Carolina. Thursday nigth sees Charlotte coming to Stone Stadium for the first time since the 2005 season with a 7 p.m. kickoff. The Gamecocks then face No. 18 Wake Forest Sunday at a rare 5 p.m. start.

SCOUTING CLEMSON
Clemson enters the Carolina Cup with an undefeated record for the second consecutive season. The Tigers hold a perfect 5-0-0 record under new coach Eddie Radwanski, outscoring opponents 19-2 to start the season. The team is led by junior Maddy Elder’s team high six goals and two assists for 14 points. True freshman Liska Dobberstein and sophomore Vanessa Laxgang both have three goals to begin the season, and five other players have scored at least one goal. Sophomore Lauren Arnold has played every minute in goal and holds a 0.40 goals against average to go with 14 saves and three shutouts.
South Carolina and Clemson have played on common opponent in Northeastern. The Gamecocks defeated the Huskies 4-0 last Friday before Clemson’s 2-1 win on Sunday that was delayed for nearly three hours mid-game due to weather.

SCOUTING UNC WILMINGTON
UNC Wilmington enters the weekend with a 2-2-0 record, including a 2-1 win at Davidson last Sunday. The Seahawks have scored two goals in both of their victories, and all four scores have come from four different players. Junior Amanda Holmes leads the team in points with one goal and one assist for three points. Kim Currie, Erin Pardini and Laura Wilson have also scored this season. Junior Caitlin Hunter has started all four games in goal and sports a 1.00 goals against average with 19 saves and a shutout.
South Carolina and UNCW have played one common opponent in East Carolina. The Gamecocks defeated the Pirates 4-0, and ECU defeated UNCW 2-0. The Gamecocks and Seahawks have played twice with the teams drawing 0-0 in Wilmington to open the 2008 season before South Carolina defeated the Seahawks 2-0 at Clemson in the 2009 Carolina Cup.

SWEEPING CLEMSON?
The South Carolina senior class will attempt to become the first class to sweep their rivals with four straight victories. South Carolina has won three straight against the Tigers for the first time, a streak that has brought memorable moments for the Gamecocks including the first goal scored at Riggs Field in program history in the 2009 season as well as a 5-0 rout at Clemson. The Gamecocks have outscored Clemson 8-0 in the current three-game streak.
The last senior class to post a sweep in the series was Clemson’s 2003 season class that outscored Carolina 7-0.

YOUTH IN REVOLT
The freshmen have overtaken the back half of the field for the Gamecocks with one of the youngest defenses in the nation. South Carolina starts three freshmen between the backline and the goalkeeper position with Christa Neary and Ali Whitney starting as defenders and Sabrina D’Angelo starting in goal. In addition, Andie Romness has earned two starts at defender early in the season.

SHUTOUT DEFENSE
Defense has been the calling card for Shelley Smith’s Gamecocks, and the 2011 season shows early signs of continuing that character trait despite the abundance of youth in the regular rotation. South Carolina has posted shutouts in all three of its wins and is third in the SEC through three weeks with three goals against and a 0.58 goals against average.

EFFICIENT OFFENSE
South Carolina is at the bottom of the SEC with only 38 shots (7.6 shots a game), 21 total shots less than the nearest team’s 59 attempts. However, the number is lower due to Carolina being selective with their opportunities, a stat proven by South Carolina leading the league with a 23.7 shot percentage (ratio of goals to shots). Not only do the Gamecocks lead the league in shot percentage, but they do so by a hefty margin with Ole Miss coming in second at 16.2%. Senior Kayla Grimsley is on track to become the first Gamecock to end her career with four seasons shooting over 20 percent. She and Jennie Ondo are the only Gamecocks to have three seasons over the mark.